REUTERS– Americans spend twice as much as residents of other developed countries on
healthcare, but get lower quality, less efficiency and have the least equitable
system, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The United States ranked last when compared to six other countries – Britain, Canada, Germany, Netherlands, Australia and New Zealand, the Commonwealth Fund report found.
“As an American it just bothers me that with all of our know-how, all of our wealth, that we are not assuring that people who need healthcare can get it,” Commonwealth Fund president Karen Davis told reporters in a telephone briefing.
Previous reports by the nonprofit fund, which conducts research into healthcare performance and promotes changes in the U.S. system, have been heavily used by policymakers and politicians pressing for healthcare reform.
Davis said she hoped health reform legislation passed in March would lead to improvements.
The current report uses data from nationally representative patient and physician surveys in seven countries in 2007, 2008, and 2009. It is available here
In 2007, health spending was $7,290 per person in the United States, more than double that of any other country in the survey. Australians spent $3,357, Canadians $3,895, Germans $3,588, the Netherlands $3,837 and Britons spent $2,992 per capita on health in 2007. New Zealand spent the least at $2,454.
Continue reading about US Scores Dead Last Again in Healthcare Study.
© Reuters, 2010
Photo by flickr user morrissey
I wouldn’t mind paiyng my health care contributions with after tax dollars, and thus eliminating the government subsidization of my health care benefits. But taxing the entire thing as income is excessive. I think we should level the playing field, not sow it with land mines. My wife and I together pay about $ 160/month for awesome insurance, and we have a flexible reimbursement account that allows us to set aside $ 100/month pre-tax for expenses like co-pays and over the counter drugs. That means we wind up saving around 23% for the year as opposed to paiyng with after tax dollars. People without employer based health insurance don’t have that option, making it a government subsidy. So get rid of that aspect, but if my entire plan were taxed as income I couldn’t afford it. And I know a lot of other people who couldn’t as well. That’s a cure worse than the problem.